It had to have been the most awkward dinner Adam had ever attended. The Hunters and the Crosses smiled at each other, neither willing to break the uncomfortable silence the room held. Lexi looked as though someone had strangled her cat. She was leaned back in her chair, arms crossed and was glaring at the wall. Mrs. Cross sent her a sharp look. “Be polite” she whispered. Lexi’s eyes flickered to her, and then Adam. The look she gave him told him what he could so with himself.

Mrs. Hunter seemed oblivious to their discomfort. She clapped her hands - of course she was happy. She had done her job of convincing Adam. If everything went as planned, they would get their money. Her only worry now was if Adam screwed things up.

No, there was no pressure whatsoever.

“Arrangements have been made,” Mr. Cross finally spoke up. He folded his hands in front of him, businesslike, and smiled at his dinner guests. “I called our pastor and book the church for the wedding. I have talked it over with Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, and we have agreed for the wedding to take place on the 24th. Does this sound agreeable to you both?”

The 24th? Dear God, it wasn‘t even a month away. Were they seriously that eager to marry them off?

Lexi’s eyes went wide at the date as well. “Dad!” she exclaimed, bring her arms down from her chest. “No one is going to fall for this. My friends know I’ve been with Gabriel for two years. They’re going to suspect something is up!”

“She’s right. We’re not going to break up with our girlfriends or boyfriends only to marry each other two weeks later. No engagement is that short. Unless you are Britney Spears, or something.” Adam saw Lexi crack a smile at that.

Mr. Hunter jumped in. “Having a new school, especially college, will help in that area. No one will know your past, so a sudden marriage will not have them surprised. You could have been dating for years, for all they know. Your marriage will be mostly be for the public, anyway - you make some public appearances, smile at the cameras and the such. This is not as big a deal as you both are making it out to be.”

“Does no one else consider the fact of how wrong this is?”

Adams’s question hung in mid-air, and he could have heard a pin drop in the room. Neither of the parents spoke, choosing to look at the floor instead of their children. Finally, Mrs. Cross cleared her throat and looked up, staring the two young adults in the eyes.

“This agreement was mutual. You and Lexis are both adults and are able to make your own decisions. Let me remind you that you both agreed to this. We didn’t force you into this.”

Did this woman truly believe what she was saying? Adam had had enough, though. He stood up from the dinner table, and placed his hands by the plate. “You are not serious, are you? Because I somehow seem to remember the fact that we’re only getting married because we’ve basically been blackmailed into it by our parents. If I screw this up, our family goes down hill. If Lexis messes up her part, you might not win the election. It’s a win-win situation for you both, and a lose-lose for us. Thanks for thinking so much of your children. We sincerely appreciate the efforts.”

He heard his parents calling for him, demanding that he come back to the table. Did they seriously think he was going to sit there and let them screw over his life? Footsteps came quickly behind him. “Adam!”

It was Lexi. She crossed her arms and glared at him. “What do you think you are doing?”

“What does it look like?” he snapped, grabbing his coat from where one of the maids had placed it earlier. The Cross mansion was far too big, and he wasn’t exactly sure where the entrance was. Or where his parents had parked the car. Maybe he could just walk home, or have Raileigh come pick him up.

But she would not. She was beyond pissed at him, and she had every right to be.

Lexi grabbed his arm. “You can’t leave, Adam!” she exclaimed, her green eyes wide. “I’m in this as much as you are and I will not have just broken off my relationship with my boyfriend for nothing. If I am going to be in this, then you are too. Whether you like it or not.”

“Are you threatening me now too?” Adam whirled around and took a step toward the girl. Lexi backed away, but stood her ground. “I’m screwed either way I go, Lexi. You are in a nice situation - you might just become First Daughter of the United States. Whether or not this deal works out for you doesn’t matter. For me, this might cost me everything. My house, my car, my family name. Everything. Everything we have worked so hard for, right down the drain. And for what? A stupid marriage with a girl I can’t stand and then a divorce. All before I turn twenty-one. What a nice thing, is it not?”

“You think this is easy for me either?” she spat, with more venom than Adam had ever seen from her. “I had to break up with Gabriel. My fiancée.” Adam must have not hid the shock on his face as well as he thought, for she smirked. “Yes, Adam, fiancée. We were going to break it to my parents after the elections were over, but obviously, they had to get in the way of that. I’m being forced to move in with a man that I know could care less about me, and our entire relationship is going to be broadcast world-wide. Even after all of this is over, you get to fade into the background. What do I get? I’ll get to be the notorious First Daughter of the United States that staged a relationship for money. How does that sound?”

Adam let out a tentative laugh. “So we’re both completely screwed.” He paused. “Gabriel never told me he had proposed.”

“It was a secret. Dad’s got enough stress on his mind without having to worry about marrying his only daughter off. Or at least, I thought he did.” She made a graceless flop into a chair by the doorway, and looked up at him in complete exhaustion. “Adam, I didn’t plan this if that’s what you’re thinking. I never wanted this. We’re just. . Two unlucky people, I guess.”

Heel clicks could be heard rounding the corner, and Adam’s mother appeared in view seconds later, followed by Mrs. Cross. Both grabbed their respective children and hauled them off to different corners. “What do you think you’re doing?!” she hissed, her grip on her son’s wrist tightening until she almost cut off the circulation. “ Adam, you might have just ruined our only chances! If you think you’re going to back out of this now, you most certainly have another --”

“Lexis and I are holding our deal of the bargain.” Adam cut her off. “We will continue with this marriage, only because at this point, what do we have to lose? It’s not like we can just crawl back to Gabriel and Raileigh and say ‘Oops, sorry, this was a huge mistake.’”

Whispers of fury could be heard from Lexi’s general direction, and Adam broke his mother’s gaze to glance toward her. She met his eyes and raised an eyebrow. He grinned. A truce was to be formed here, he could see. Mrs. Hunter noticed the interaction and faltered her grip on Adam’s wrist. He found his courage there when she gave him a smile - one that matched his own. The fathers had now joined the two in the foyer, both giving questioning glances toward their wives.

“Lexis and I are holding our side of the deal,” Adam repeated, louder this time. “But we will be doing this by our own terms. There will be no relationship between us besides what his public. There will be no grandchildren coming out of this event,” He thought he saw Lexi shudder. His body resisted the urge to have the same reaction. “And if we want to go somewhere with Gabriel or Raileigh, you two will have absolutely no say in this. If we become husband and wife, you will no longer have control over us. By law we’re already adults. We’ll be married responsible adults, and there is nothing you can do about it.”

Mr. Cross narrowed his eyes. “Adam, this whole situation -”

“Is to bail our parents out of the messes they go themselves in.” Adam finished for him. “It’s sad to say, but it’s true.”

No one argued. The tension in the room was literally so thick one could have heard a pin drop, but Adam remained calm. If his or her parents couldn’t deal with the situation they had put themselves in, then the entire deal with off. No questions asked. He raised an eyebrow at his father and Mr. Cross, challenging them to say something and step in. Neither did.

Finally Mr. Cross broke the silence. “You will have it your way, Adam. You’re a very shrewd young man - I appreciate that. I need someone I know can take care of my daughter through this entire mess. As nice of a young man as Gabriel was, he was not the man to take this position.”

Lexi visibly bristled, and Adam narrowed his eyes at the older man. With a nod of Mr. Cross’ head, the adults cleared the room, leaving Lexi and Adam in the room alone. She crossed her arms and gave Adam a hard look, one that clearly said she was displeased with the situation. He sighed and shrugged. “What can we do, Lexi?” he said, quietly. “They have us backed into a corner. We might as well go along with this and make the best of it. Besides . .” A small grin passed over his face. “I’ve been told there are benefits to being married.”

Lexi gave him a cold look. “You’re a dumbass if you think I’m sleeping with you.”

“It was worth a shot,” He joked. It was clear she did not find this funny in the least. His smile dropped and he shrugged again. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“We go through with this,” Lexi replied, her voice completely dead. “We get married, support our parents and put on happy faces. After it’s all said and done, we get a divorce. We’ll be married and divorced before we’re both twenty-three. It is a very sad situation.”

There was no other way to put it. She was right.

A sad situation indeed.

Author's Note: This chapter is short, but I hope it shows the tension between the parties. Lexi vs. Adam. Adam and Lexi vs. their parents. Raileigh and Gabriel will be reappearing next chapter. Rest assured they are not happy. Reviews are appreciated, and constructive crit is always a plus!